


A Night In The Wastes

by caniscanemedit_bully



Category: Dragon Age: Inquisition
Genre: Cold trope, F/M, Fluff, Hypothermia trope, hissing wastes, trope
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-03-02
Updated: 2017-03-02
Packaged: 2018-09-27 23:36:46
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,000
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10057085
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/caniscanemedit_bully/pseuds/caniscanemedit_bully
Summary: Varric and Cassandra despise the idea of being left alone at camp in the middle of a desert with an infuriatingly fluctuating temperature. They manage to figure out a way to deal with it.





	

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first DA:I fanfiction, I hope you enjoy :) If there's any typos or inaccuracies please let me know.

“We’re scouting ahead, you two keep watch of the camp. There’s Red Templars and all sorts in this area. We should arrive upon nightfall, with supplies for the night.”

“Why always so cynical, Inquisitor?” an unsteady smirk spread across the dwarf’s face. Dorian smirked back, knowing that Varric and Cassandra were not exactly the best of friends.

“Oh, and do try not to kill each other while we’re gone,” the mage remarked, smirk widening.

Dorian and the Inquisitor turned towards the desert of the Hissing Wastes.

~~~

The warrior and the rogue shivered as the cold night dominated the desert. It had been over two hours since twilight approached, and nothing could be heard of the Inquisitor and her Tevinter companion.

The two had not long moved their camp a few metres east under a protuberance of sandy rock. If they had any chance of surviving the night without Dorian’s fire magic or the resources to create a fire, they would have to conserve heat as best as possible.

“The cold will take us without that ridiculous mage.”

“Tell me something I don’t know, Seeker.”

“This is… not the scenario I would want to die in. Trapped in this, with you, no less.”

Cassandra’s brow lifted when Varric did not retort with one of his iconic, witty remarks. In fact, all that came from him was chattering of teeth followed by a stuttered yawn.

“Don’t know about you, Seeker, but I’m prepared to sleep through the worst of this,” the dwarf finally spoke, before taking Bianca from his back, placing it against the rock and shuffling towards the tent.

“You expect to give in so easily, Varric? I will not die out here.” The Seeker was never a woman of giving up when things got tough.

“And what do you expect me to do, Seeker? I’m too tired for this shit."

“I-,” Cassandra’s cheeks reddened slightly when a certain idea came to mind. Varric’s smirk didn’t exactly help.

“Seeker? By the look on your face, you have something interesting in mind?”

“I- it’s cold, if you had not already figured, dwarf. I am… certain you understand my idea?”

“Say no more, Seeker, we have no choice after all,” he winked. He winked, Cassandra’s eyes widened.

~~~

The Seeker and the dwarf had stripped down to their tunics from their armour, weapons now hidden within the camp. Varric had already shuffled in to bed, letting out another shivering yawn. Cassandra stood idly, teeth chattering, looking anywhere but at the rogue curled up beside a distinctly empty space.

“You won’t get much sleep standing there, Seeker.”

“Shut up.”

Cassandra hesitated as she slid her legs under the covers. Her first instinct was to turn in the exact opposite direction of the dwarf, and to shuffle as far as she could away from him.

“Well, this is the most effective plan you’ve had so far.”

Before Cassandra could retaliate, Varric had shuffled right beside her, their backs just touching.

“You are not to speak a word of this, Varric.”

~~~

The Seeker awoke some hours later, when the moon was high and the deepest cold of the desert had fully set. She couldn’t help but lay shivering, any possibility of sleeping again far gone. The very slight warmth from the dwarf beside her did little to quell the freezing cold biting everywhere on her body.

She tried everything she could fathom. Pulling the covers further over her head, curling up into a ball. The cold refused to leave her be.

“Seeker?” she heard the voice of the dwarf in the dark. She didn’t respond. Instead, she closed her eyes again, turned completely away from Varric, and attempted to sleep once more.

Twenty minutes. Nothing.

“Seeker.”

She shuddered slightly, unsure of whether it was of the cold, or of the tone of voice she had never heard the smart-mouthed dwarf use – well, at least when talking to her. She remained in her tense silence.

What the Seeker was not expecting was a strong arm to pull her close.

“Varri-.”

“Neither of us will be able to sleep if your teeth keep chattering like that.” She could almost hear his smirk.

What surprised her most of all, was the fact that this did not bother her at all. She would never admit it, but she was definitely enjoying this more than not.  
She couldn’t resist. It’s cold, she told herself. Cassandra nestled deep in the rogue’s arms, the warmth of his body, and perhaps something more, present.

~~~

They awoke at sunrise. The surprisingly welcome heat of the desert began to return once more for the day. The Inquisitor and Dorian had yet to return.

“Sleep okay, Cassandra?”

Cassandra. She could count on her fingers the amount of times she’d heard him use her name over ‘Seeker’.

“Do not dare to mention this to anyone,” her threat was empty, as she was definitely not prepared to move out of the dwarf’s arms. Just for the sake of warmth, nothing more, of course.

“Just between us, Seeker, after all, I don’t want to be known for involving myself with my fans.”

“Fan? It was just for… research purposes. I wanted to find out about the Champion…”

“So the smuttiest and lowest of my works was your choice of research material?”

Cassandra grumbled something incoherent, shuffling away from him. Whilst the first warmths of the day were returning, she began to shiver a little again at the contrast in temperature.

“Cassandra.”

“W- what is it now, Varric?” she stuttered, taken aback. She was not used to the dwarf speaking her real name.

“You’re cold.”

She huffed, ignoring him.

“Here…” she felt his breath on the back of her neck. A not unpleasurable shiver went through her spine.

“Varric…” she breathed. He pulled her close, closer than before, and this time, she fully acknowledged that it was more than his warmth she was thankful for.

“My Seeker?”

My Seeker.

“I… I would not be… against the idea of doing this again.”

“Cassandra…”


End file.
